Exercising safely during pregnancy

In a healthy pregnancy, regular activity is good for you and your baby. Exercise can help ease back pain and constipation, improve your sleep and mood and help you gain a healthy amount of weight; it may also lower the risk of gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. What matters is choosing the right kind and listening to your body's signals.

How much should you move?

The World Health Organization recommends that pregnant women without contraindications do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity spread across the week; adding muscle-strengthening activities and gentle stretching is also beneficial. Moderate intensity is the pace at which your heart beats faster, you feel warmer and breathe faster, but you can still talk, though not sing. You can split this time into 30 minutes on 5 days a week or into 10-minute blocks during the day.

In a healthy pregnancy, regular physical activity doesn't increase the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight or preterm birth. If you weren't active before, start with 5–10 minutes a day and build up gradually. If you exercised regularly before pregnancy, you can continue your usual workouts with your doctor's OK; but don't take up a new vigorous sport such as running during pregnancy. Discuss your exercise plan with your doctor at your early visits; if you have a health condition or a pregnancy complication, they'll tell you which activities aren't right for you.

Which exercises are suitable?

• Brisk walking: works your whole body without straining your joints.
• Swimming and water workouts: the water supports your body, reducing the load on muscles and joints.
• Stationary cycling: safer than cycling outdoors, since your growing belly can affect your balance.
• Yoga and Pilates adapted for pregnancy: improve flexibility and offer breathing practice; avoid poses that require lying on your back for long periods.
• Muscle-strengthening activities: aim for 2 sessions a week; if you're already used to weight training, you can continue after talking with your doctor.

What should you avoid?

• Contact sports with a risk of being hit in the belly, such as soccer, basketball and boxing
• Activities with a high risk of falling, such as skiing, horseback riding, off-road cycling, gymnastics and surfing
• Scuba diving and skydiving
• Hot yoga or hot Pilates; exercising outdoors when it's very hot or humid
• Lying flat on your back for more than a few minutes or standing still for long periods later in pregnancy
• Exercising on an empty stomach: it can make you faint

Drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise; wear loose, comfortable clothing and a supportive sports bra; and tell your instructor you're pregnant. Because pregnancy hormones loosen the ligaments around your joints and your growing belly shifts your balance, avoid sudden, bouncy and jerky movements.

“The best exercise is the one you can do regularly while still talking comfortably.”

Warning signs to stop right away

If any of the following happen, stop exercising and call your doctor:

• Vaginal bleeding or fluid leaking from the vagina
• Regular, painful contractions
• Dizziness or feeling faint
• Chest pain, or shortness of breath that was there before you started exercising
• Headache or muscle weakness
• Calf pain or swelling

If the bleeding is heavy, or you have severe abdominal pain or severe shortness of breath, go to the hospital right away or call your local emergency number. If your water breaks, or regular contractions start before 37 weeks, also go to the hospital right away. Staying active after birth is also good for your mood and lowers the risk of blood clots; talk to your doctor about when and how to start.